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Ken's Place PDX

Since there has been some talk of this funky little dinner on Hawthorne lately - I though I'd go and check it out this last Sat.

I arrived at 8pm on Saturday evening. The place was empty. 2 at the counter and one other table.My dining companions had- 1/2 roasted garlic chicken, pasta with morels and peas, mustard seed crusted salmon and I had the burger.We started with the Hungarian soup. I would have liked it a bit thicker but I found it very flavorful with a lot of interesting spices. I thought it was very good - I love soups and would definately come back to explore their other soups.(since I didn't have the pasta or chicken I can't comment much on them)They looked tasty. Very simple presentation. Each was about $12.My partner had the salmon, which I thought was cooked perfectly. The mustard seed added a nice touch of crunch without over flavoring. $15And I had the burger. I am always happy when they ask how I would like my burger done - rare.The meat was excellent, and the pickled cucumbers were nice but I wanted a bit more cheese or condiments to go with it. It is a very plain burger and though that is fine I just felt like it was missing something.The fries I didn't care for that much they are larger hand-cut and I just prefer smaller fries.The mason jar glasses didn't bother me at all, the booth was cozy and noise wasn't a problem at 8pm on a Sat. (I heard that on Friday by 7pm it is much busier, so choose your time wisely.)Due to the very simple presentation I think I would like to see the dishes closer to $10 - $12 rather than $13 - $15 but hey - it is only a few bucks more and I know the ingredients are local, fresh and worth it.And the owner stopped by on his way out to see if we enjoyed the meal- always a bonus.And yes- the staff were great. Friendly, fun- definitely a good vibe.I will be back.